68
Metascore
36 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91HitfixDrew McWeenyHitfixDrew McWeenyThe film is loose and genuine and makes great use of place.
- 76Film.comWilliam GossFilm.comWilliam GossIf the Favreau-written “Swingers” concerned itself with the pursuit of meaningful romance and the Favreau-directed “Made” tackled the pursuit of a better living, then the slight if continually amusing Chef is clearly his paean to rekindling one’s passions, whether as an artist, a husband or a father.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickHe’s great as a celebrity chef who’s forced to re-examine his priorities in this extremely funny and big-hearted comedy that Favreau also wrote.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonThe final destination is entirely predictable — right down to the deus ex machina reappearance of an erstwhile antagonist — but the trip itself is never less than pleasant, and often extremely funny.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe easygoing comedy keeps a familiar story going despite minor plot hiccups.
- 60The DissolveDavid EhrlichThe DissolveDavid EhrlichIt may not be for all tastes, but there’s genuine value in a feel-good film that works this well without making viewers feel bad first.
- 50Village VoiceAmy NicholsonVillage VoiceAmy NicholsonChef is so charmingly middlebrow that it's exactly the cinematic comfort food it mocks: Favreau has made not a game-changing meal to remember, but a perfect chocolate lava cake.
- 38Slant MagazineChris CabinSlant MagazineChris CabinJon Favreau's film comes off as flippant in its view of independent labor as a universally liberating experience for an artist and businessman.
- 16The PlaylistDrew TaylorThe PlaylistDrew TaylorWhile the more down-to-earth Chef does offer some fascinating autobiographical dimensions, the film is also an overlong, unfunny, largely insufferable bore.